Solid electrolyte thermoelectrochemical system
OwnerJohn Gordon, Ashok Joshi +1inventors
InventorsJohn Gordon, Ashok Joshi, Shekar Balagopal
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Abstract
A solid electrolyte thermoelectrochemical system which employs a non-porous solid electrolyte as membrane between an anode compartment and a cathode compartment. The system utilizes the principles of a concentration cell using a non-porous inorganic solid electrolyte membrane and ionic solutions of differing concentration.
Claims20
A thermoelectrochemical device comprising:
- an electrochemical cell having an anode and a cathode, the anode being separated from the cathode by a cation-conducting non-porous solid electrolyte membrane;
- an anolyte solution having a solvent and a solute provided at the anode;
- a catholyte solution having a solvent and a solute provided at the cathode;
- a source of thermal energy configured to provide thermal energy to the anolyte solution to form solvent vapor from the anolyte solution;
- and
- a solvent vapor transfer for transporting solvent vapor to the cathode to become catholyte solution.
The thermoelectrochemical device of claim 3 wherein said alkali ion-conducting NASICON material has the formula M(5−x)RE(1+x)Si4O12, where M is selected from the group consisting of Na, Li, or K, where RE is a rare earth metal or Yttrium, and where 0≦x≦3.
A thermoelectrochemical device comprising:
- an electrochemical cell having an anode and a cathode provided in an anode compartment and a cathode compartment, respectively, the anode compartment being separated from the cathode compartment by a cation-conducting non-porous solid electrolyte membrane;
- an anolyte solution provided in the anode compartment containing a solvent and concentrated solute cations;
- a catholyte solution provided in the cathode compartment containing a solvent and dilute solute cations relative to the anolyte solution;
- a thermal energy source for providing thermal energy to the anolyte solution to form solvent vapor;
- and
- means for transporting solvent vapor formed from the anolyte solution from the anode compartment to the cathode compartment and means for cooling said vaporized solvent to condense the solvent.
A thermoelectrochemical device for generating power from thermal energy comprising:
- an electrochemical cell having an anode compartment with an anode and a cathode compartment with a cathode, the anode compartment and the cathode compartment being separated by a cation conducting non-porous solid electrolyte membrane;
- an anolyte solution provided in the anode compartment containing a high concentration of solute cations;
- a catholyte solution provided in the cathode compartment containing a low concentration of solute cations;
- a thermal energy source configured to provide thermal energy to the anolyte solution;
- means for transporting vaporized solvent from the anode compartment to the cathode compartment;
- means for cooling said vaporized solvent to result in condensing solvent;
- and
- means for transport of an electroactive gas between the anode and the cathode compartments.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.